Arsene Wenger has ruled out the possibility of Theo Walcott starting tomorrow’s Premier League game with Burnley, saying the England man is going to have to be patient as he looks to step up his comeback.
Walcott was on the bench at the Stadium of Light but remained an unused substitute as the Gunners secured a 2-0 win, and although Burnley might be viewed as relatively inferior opposition, the Arsenal manager isn’t going to take any chances with the winger.
“He is not completely ready. He’s been out for too long to start, but if I can give him some competition I am happy to do it.”
Asked if Theo was itching for a game, Wenger said, “Yes he is, but that’s always period where the patience is tested of the player, because they feel ready.
“The players wants to play, but usually much later realise they weren’t ready. I know Theo well and he is a very intelligent player, he knows he is not completely there yet.”
So, let’s hope we can get ourselves into the kind of position where Walcott can get 15-20 minutes at the end to build him up to more difficult opposition.
when will he be there huh??
same with diaby..not there yet
I am actually incredibly excited for the return of feo.
I watched all his goals twice through yesterday on the good old Youtube. What a great finisher and even better when its against the filthy Chavs. He just picks his spot and passes it in. Really surprised me how much quality he has provided over the years.
Cannot wait for the trio of Alexis, Welbz and Theo…. if only the injury gods didnt prevent Ozil from joining that combo!
I’m actually terrified if Wenger decides to go with that trio because then defences would just sit back in 2 banks of 5 and they’d just be running quickly into a wall.
The thought of him,Welbz, and Sanchez . Just terifies. #COYG
I can’t wait for his comeback.
Did he say
“Walcott has to be patient”
or
“Walcott has to be A patient?”
No need to hurry with Theo. If Burnley is 3 down @ halftime or by the hour mark, give him a runout.
We’ll really need him after the intl. break.
Heard Giroud to be back by then too and hopefully Kos… Things are looking up and we are due some let in the injury front.
If we are still in Chelsea’s rear view mirror by January, expect an exciting second half of the season. Man City’s push seem to be faltering – who says we can’t join them in a three horse race.
A man can afford to dream.
Let’s remember the first time the cocky one was fired. Chelsea was losing more games than we did this year. Even worse when Scolari got fired. Teams may find a way to stop the Fabregas-Hazard-Costa axis.
My milk will start to flow as soon as I see Walcott playing again.
Mine too, and I’m not even a woman.
Walcott can’t be ready if he is not given game time.
Heard about the pygmy doctor with a short fuse?
He has little patience.
I’ll get my coat. Taaaxxxiiiiii.
A massive player for us, just hope he can stay fit for the rest of the season and show all the naysayers what he can do. A fully fit Walcott could be the very best in the league
Don’t rush him!!! We don’t want him coming back only to start having hamstring and little muscle injuries.
Theo on one side and Sanchez on the other; this is going to be fun 🙂
I think that’s why Wenger said “walcott has to be patient” as the title suggests.
I am glad for the cautiousness on Wenger’s part regarding Theo. Let’s ease him in as the guy would be very important to how our season pans out…
Walcott isn’t ready to play because he hasn’t played, therefore he won’t play. Yep, sounds about right.
If he isnt ready why was he on the bench last week
If you read the article, you’ll see it says he’s not ready TO START. He should be on the bench tomorrow.
He’s two weeks away. This condition is known as Diaby-tes.
We have good competition across the attacking line behind Welbeck (and soon Giroud) Santi is generally better through the middle as surrogate for Ozil. Alexis can play anywhere across the line. We have Ox and Walcott to add pace and directness, Podolski should still feature and we still have to effectively fit a hungry Campbell into the line. There is also Gnabry. And Rosicky can play in the slot. Plenty of options. Gaffer has got to use the assets well and get the optimum out of it. There is no one way of doing things. Different tools to approach the… Read more »
Most important, do not rush Gibbs back
As usual he will be introduced when we are chasing a game and be expected to save the game, Wenger’s fire brigade attitude.
Like a new signing.
If he needs game time why wasn’t he given a run in last week’s U-21 game v Stoke instead of doing nothing on the bench at Sunderland? Surely that would have been more beneficial.